Near Pensacola Beach in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Beeﬁng Up Defenses

—Fort Pickens —

By Mark Hilton, December 31, 2014

1. Beefing Up Defenses Marker

Inscription. On the brink of war with Spain after the USS "Maine" battleship was sunk in Havana Harbor, Cuba, in February 1898, the U.S. Army installed a minefield in the Pensacola Harbor entrance. Leaving a 1000-foot opening, the Corps of Engineers placed two booms—across the channel from Santa Rosa Island and Period Key. Buoyant and underwater mines were laid behind the booms. A searchlight swept the minefield. The system remained in force until a major hurricane damaged facilities in 1926, and the U.S. Navy took over Pensacola's underwater defenses.

Erected by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Location. 30° 19.704′ N, 87° 17.432′ W. Marker is near Pensacola Beach, Florida, in Escambia County. Marker can be reached from Fort Pickens Road 9.8 miles from Pensacola Beach Boulevard (State Road 399). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Fort Pickens Road, Gulf Breeze FL 32561, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on January 3, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 268 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 3, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.